A resident walks over the debris of his damaged house after cross-border shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) between Pakistan and India, in the Jura sector in Neelum Valley of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, on May 10, 2025. Pakistan's military on May 10 said India launched another wave of missiles targeting three air bases including one on the outskirts of the capital as the conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours spiralled toward full-blown war. Authorities in Pakistan-administered Kashmir said 11 civilians were killed by Indian shelling overnight. (Photo by Muzammil AHMED / AFP)
NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD (Bloomberg): India and Pakistan signaled they are willing to de-escalate after strikes on military bases by both sides on Saturday raised fears of all-out war and prompted warnings from the US and China.
"If India stops, we will stop,” said Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar in an interview with Samaa TV, just hours after the army announced it had struck several Indian military sites in retaliation for New Delhi’s missile attacks on Pakistani airbases.
At a briefing in New Delhi, Indian officials said that any future action would depend on Pakistan’s next steps.
"Indian Armed Forces reiterate commitment to non-escalation provided it is reciprocated by Pakistani military,” said Wing Commander Vyomika Singh. The briefing primarily focused on how India repelled Pakistan’s military attacks earlier in the day.
For the last four days, tensions between Pakistan and India have surged to their most dangerous levels in years, with both sides shooting missiles and drones over key military sites and densely populated cities.
The rising hostilities have prompted the US, China and other countries to seek a diplomatic solution and prevent a full-scale war between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
Pakistan said it began a counter-attack on Saturday after Indian jets struck three of its airbases with missiles, including Noor Airbase in Rawalpindi, which holds the army’s headquarters and is located close to the capital Islamabad.
The army said it retaliated by hitting Indian airbases and other military sites in Punjab state and the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir region.
India’s army said in a post on X it repelled multiple drone attacks from Pakistan, including at Khasa Cantonment in the northern city of Amritsar, the location of an Indian military station.
At the briefing on Saturday, officials in New Delhi denied Pakistan’s claims that Indian airbases were destroyed. India’s army carried out "precision attacks” on military targets in Pakistan, including Sialkot airbase, the official said.
Vikram Misri, India’s foreign secretary, blamed Pakistan for escalating the conflict by targeting civilian sites in cities like Srinagar, the capital of India’s Jammu and Kashmir region, and Rajouri.
Pakistan strikes targeted a medical center, school and airbases in Srinagar, Awantipora and Udhampur, he said.
Pakistan closed its airspace for all flights until noon Sunday. India also announced the closure of 32 airports in the northern and western parts of the country, and suspended 25 air route segments, until May 15.
While tensions between the two South Asian rivals remain high, there was a slight change in tone after the military strikes on Saturday.
Pakistan’s Defense minister Khawaja Asif, speaking on Geo Television on Saturday, denied local media reports claiming that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had called a meeting of the National Command Authority, the body responsible for decisions on nuclear weapons.
"We hope India will now choose dialogue over escalation,” Ahsan Iqbal, Pakistan’s planning minister, said in a statement posted on the ministry’s X account. He added that Pakistan doesn’t wish to see the no-first-use nuclear doctrine unravel.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a phone call with Pakistan army chief Asim Munir and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in a bid to de-escalate tensions.
"He continued to urge both parties to find ways to de-escalate and offered U.S. assistance in starting constructive talks in order to avoid future conflict,” spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was "deeply concerned about the escalation” in hostilities. It called for both sides to "refrain from any action that could further escalate tensions,” which it said was needed for peace and stability in the region.
Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven said in a statement that further military escalation poses a "serious threat” to regional stability and both countries should engage in "direct dialogue towards a peaceful outcome.”
Tensions between the countries erupted on April 22, when gunmen killed 26 civilians in India’s Jammu and Kashmir region, mainly Hindu tourists. India called the attack an act of terrorism and accused Pakistan of involvement, allegations Islamabad has denied.
This week, the situation escalated dramatically when India carried out a operation against what it described as terrorist camps inside Pakistan. The strikes on nine targets, which Pakistan’s army said killed 31 civilians, were the deepest breach of Pakistani territory by India since the 1971 war.
The conflict has roiled financial markets in both nations. India’s NSE Nifty 50 index dropped more than 1% on Friday, the most in a month. After plunging on Thursday, Pakistan stocks rose on Friday before the International Monetary Fund approved a $1 billion loan disbursement.
Pakistan and India have clashed several times over the disputed region of Kashmir since independence from Britain in 1947. The last time the two nations came close to an all-out war was in 2019, after a suicide bomber killed 40 members of India’s security forces.
India blamed Pakistan and responded about two weeks later with its first airstrikes on Pakistani soil since 1971. Pakistan retaliated by shooting down an Indian jet and arresting the pilot, who was later released. Tensions died down soon afterward.
--With assistance from Chiranjivi Chakraborty.
©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
